Malaria is the most important tropical disease, remaining widespread throughout the tropics, but also occurring in many temperate regions. It exacts a heavy toll of illness and death - especially amongst children and pregnant women. It also poses a risk to travellers and immigrants, with imported cases increasing in non-endemic areas. Treatment and control have become more difficult with the spread of drug-resistant strains of parasites and insecticide-resistant strains of mosquito vectors. Health education, better case management, better control tools and concerted action are needed to limit the burden of the disease.

Malaria kills 1-2 million children each year in sub-Saharan Africa. Major advances have occurred in our understanding of disease pathogenesis, such as the development of drugs that kill the malaria parasite twice as rapidly as quinine, the current drug of choice - but the mortality rate for severe malaria has not changed. Between 15-40% of children with cerebral malaria, malaria-associated acidosis, and/or severe anemia will die; and half of those deaths occur within 12 hours of arriving at a hospital.